Rubber nonskid crossband



Aug. 10, 1954 w. J. LUTEY 2,585,903

RUBBER NoNsKID cRossBAND Filed May 4, 1951 IN V EN TOR.

MMM Jwy Patented ug. 10, 1954 UNITED STATES eATENT OFFICE 2,635,903RUBBER NoNsKIn cRossBAND William J. Lutey, seattle, Wash.

Application May 4, 1951, serial No. 224,473

rlhis invention relates to improvements in nonskid cross bands for useon pneumatic tires of motor vehicles and is in the nature of animprovement in non-skid devices ofthe type disclosed in my prior patentsnumbered 2,156,816 and 2,172,515 and 2,267,242.

This invention utilizes discarded pneumatic tires in the construction ofhighly emcient nonskid cross bands and in the construction of means forattaching these non-skid cross bands to the tires. In this Way thisinvention conserves metal by providing an eiiicient and durablesubstitute forV tire chainsand further saves in the cost of non-skiddevices by utilizing, to a large extent, material which is ordinarilywasted. This invention eiects a further saving in wear on the tires towhich these non-skid devices are applied by providing non-skid crossbands of rubberized material which will operate in contact with therubber surfaces of tires without excessive wear on the tires. Also thisinvention provides highly eincient non-skid cross bands ofpliablematerial which may be used to advantage as replacements for the crosslinks of ordinary non-skid tire chains. 1 y

An object of this invention is to pro-vide a non-V skid cross bandformed of a flat strip ofpliable material having U shaped non-skidmembers in the form of stubby tongues protruding through slots in theband and extending outwardly from said band in such a manner that theywill normally bend over and lie substantially at when they contact theroad o-r pavement and will have their ends pointed in the correctdirection to most eciently resist skidding in the event brakes areapplied to a wheel on which they are carried.

Another object of this invention is to provide non-skid cross band meanswhich effectively resists skidding or slipping of a wheel in alldirections, either starting, stopping or sidewise movement and which ishighly elicient for use on soft or slippery roads, such as in mud, sand,snow and on wet or slippery pavements. `Another object of this inventionis tol provide a non-skid cross band having stubby tongues of elasticmaterial which will flex andy bend in such a manner as to render thevnon-skid cross band self cleaning in mud, snow, ice and the like.

Another object of this invention is to provide non-skid devices in whichbead rings cut from discarded pneumatic tires are used as anchoring or.securing means for non-skid cross bands instead of the side chainscommonly used for this purpose. Tire bead rings haveY great tensilestrength and anti-stretch-properties, due to the 7 Claims. (Cl.152-222)' fact that they have a plurality of turns of steel wireembedded in the reinforced rubber of which they are constructed. Thesebead rings are usually wasted in present day processes of salvagingmaterial from discarded tires. My present invention provides for makingefficient use of these previously wasted tire beads.

Other objects of this invention will be apparent from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a fragmentary side view, with parts insection showing a motor vehicle wheel and tire having thereon stubbytongue non-skid cross band devices constructed in accordance with thisinvention.

Fig. 2 is a detached plan View, with parts broken away, showing theouter side of one of the nonskid cross band devices.

Fig.. 3 is a View in cross section taken substantially on broken line3-3 of Fig. 2 and on a larger scale than Fig. 2, said view being takendiagonally across the cross band and through a U shaped pliable stubbytongue member.

Fig. 4 is a plan view, with parts broken away.

showing a non-skid, cross band having stubby tongues positioneddifferently in the cross band from the stubby tongues in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 5 is a detached plan view showing a piece ci elastic material cutto form stubby tongues of the type used in the cross band shown in Fig.4.

Fig. 6 is a plan View, with parts broken away, showing the outer side ofanother cross band having stubby tongues positioned differently fromthose in either Fig. 2 or Fig. 4.

Fig. 'l is a detached fragmentary plan view of a cross band having atransverse strap receiving slot provided near one end thereof.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the manner ofconnecting a strap with the slotted end portion of a crossband of theform shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a side view of a wheel using a'tire bead which has been cutfrom a discarded 'tire as a means for attaching to said wheel and thetire thereof a plurality of these non-skid cross bands.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view ona larger scale than Fig. 9 andtaken on broken line lil-lil of Fig. 9 and Vshowing a non-skid unitattached to a tire'bead which has been cut from a discarded tire.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view showing modied means forattaching an end portion of a non-skid cross band to a tire bead memberwhich has been cut from a discarded tire.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary sectional View showing modied means forattaching together two adjoining end portions of a tire bead memberwhich has been cut from a discarded tire and is used as a holding meansfor a plurality of these nonskid cross bands.

Like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the severalviews.

One preferred form of this non-skid cross band is shown in Figs. l, 2and 3. This device comprises a flat cross band strip I5 of strong,tough, pliable material, such as a piece of the cord reinforced carcassor casing cut from the circumferential portion of a discarded pneumatictire. This cross band I5 is cut in such a manner that at least asubstantial portion of the reinforcing cords extend in a generallylengthwise direction in the strip to thereby insure high tensilestrength.

Each cross band strip I5 has pairs of parallel spaced apart slots iStherein. The pairs of slots I8 shown in Fig. 2 are spaced from eachother longitudinally oi the cross band strip I5 and the two parallelspaced apart slots of each pair are positioned diagonally of the crossband strip I5. A stubby tongue member IT of tough long wearing resilientmaterial, such as rubber out from the tread portion of a discardedpneumatic tire, and which is substantially free from reinforcing cords,is bent into U shape and has its two side portions inserted through thetwo slots IB of each pair.

Each stubby tongue member II is positioned so that the two end portionsthereof protrude outwardly in diverging relation from the cross stripl5. This leaves the bight or bottom portion it of the stubby tonguemember disposed underneath and in engagement with a portion I9 of thecross band strip l5 which lies between two adjacent slots I6. The bightportion I8 of each stubby tongue member is attached to the adjacent bandportion i9 by suitable securing means, as by a clincher type staple 20.

The two end portions of the stubby tongue members il extend outwardlyfrom the cross band strip I5 in diverging relation, as best shown inFig. 3. These stubby tongue members are pliable so that outwardlyprotruding portions thereof will lie down on the road or pavement, asindicated at the bottom of Fig. 1, as the tire passes over them.

The slots It in the cross band strips i5 are positioned and dimensionedso that they do not objectiona-bly weaken the cross band strips I5 butthese slots do increase the exibility of the strips l5 to some extent.

The incline or diagonal positioning of the slots I6 and stubby tonguesil offsets the two stubby tongue members in each pair-of slots so theyare not directly in alignment either in the plane of the wheel on whichthey are Icarried or transverse te this plane. This provides a betterbalanced retarding effect to skidding and sliding of the wheel in alldirections.

Obviously the stubby tongues I1 may be renewed or replaced in the crossband strips i5 Vif they become worn down or become detached from thestrips I5. Also the stubby tongues I? and cross band strips I5 willstill function with fair efficiency even though the stubby tongues areworn down substantially flush withV the outer surfaces of the cross bandstrips I5 as the slots and tongues will still both present fairly sharpare provided with suitable means by which said cross band strips I5 maybe attached directly and individually to a wheel as emergency units, asshown in Figs. l and 2 and it will be understood that this fasteningmeans may be varied, as hereinafter explained, to permit use of thesecross strips I5 in a group on a fastening means which is applied to atire like an ordinary nonskid tire chain. As shown in Figs. l and 2 eachstrip I5 has buckle means 2l attached to one end and strap means 22attached to the other end thereof. When thus equipped each cross bandstrip i5 may 'be individually attached to a wheel crosswise of a tire23, Fig. l, by passing the strap 22 through a slot or opening 215between a rim 25 and a disc portion 26 or" said wheel and engaging thestrap with the buckle means 2l. Preierably the strap 22 is made fromdiscarded tire casing having reinforcing therein to provide high tensilestrength. I have found truck tires to be satisfactory for this use.

Another satisfactory manner of attaching a non-skid cross band, as anindividual unit to wheel is illustrated in Figs. '7 and S. in thisinstance the buckle means is omitted and a transverse slot 2l isprovided in the cross band strip I5 adjacent one end of said strip. .Listrap 28, see Fig. 8, similar to strap 22 except that it has spacedapart holes 29 provided therein, is attached to the end portion of thecross band strip I5 opposite to the end which has the slot 2l. To securethe cross band strip I5 of Figs. 7 and 8 to a wheel the strap 28 ispassed around a wheel rim 25 and through a slot, such as one of theslots 24 of Fig. 1 and said strap 28 is then passed through the slot 21in the cross band strip and is doubled so as to overlap and has a boltSi passed through registering holes 29 and a nut 3l applied to the bolt.This provides elicient fastening means which does not require the use ofa buckle.

The stubby tongue members, such as the mene bers I'I shown in Figs, l, 2and 3 Ymay each be formed of a separate piecevof elastic material andmay be diagonally positioned as shown in Fig. 2. Also these stubbytongue members may be positioned either lengthwise or orosswise of the,cross` band strip by which they are carried and all of the stubbytongue members on one cross band strip may be integral parts of onepiece of resilient material.

Fig. 4 shows a non-skid cross band comprising a cross band strip 32having pairs of spaced apart parallel slots 33 extending lengthwise ofthe strip. Stubby tongue members 3d protrude through the slots 33. Fig.5 shows a preferred way of forming all of the stubby tongue members 34for one cross band strip 32 from one flat rec. tangular piece 35 ofresilient material, such as a piece of rubber .cut from the treadportion of a discarded tire. These stubby tongue members 34 are formedby making cuts 39 inwardly from the edges of'the piece 35. In applyingthe piece 35 to the cross band strip 32 alternate tabs or stubby tongues34 are bent upwardly and thrust through the slots 33 and the remainderof the piece 35 underlies the cross band strip 32 and is secured theretoas by staples 20. The major portion of the piece 35 thus serves as afairly soft lining between the cross banrl strip 32 and the tire. Thispiece 3E is preferably free from reinforcing cords and it helps tominimize wear on the tire tread. Suitable fastening means, such as abuckle 2| and strap 22, like that shown in Fig. may be usedonthe crossband strips 32..

- Fig. Gshows a non-skid cross band strip 3B having pairs of transverseparallel spaced apart vslots 3l therein. stubby tongues l5 of the typeshown in Figs. 1 to 3 are provided in the slots 31 and are secured tocross band strip 36 as by staples 2l). Buckle means 2l and strap means22 like those shown in Figs. 1 and 2 may be used on the cross band strip36.

Y Figs. 9 to 12 inclusive show a plurality of these non-skid cross bandsconnected with the bead ring portion 4D of a discarded pneumatic tire toprovide a non-skid assembly of a type adapted toy be applied to andsecured on a tire like an ordinary non-skid tire chain and which may beused in place of an ordinary tire chain.

The cross band strips |5a and stubby tongues Ha shown'in Fig. 9 aresimilar to parts l5 and l l shown in Figs. 1 to 3 but it will beunderstood that they may be similar to the cross band strip and stubbytongue means shown in either Fig. 4 or Fig. 6. The fastening means forthe cross band strips' I5a are designed to facilitate attachment'of thecross band strips I5a to a tire bead d. Also the fastening means forstrips I'a are designed so they may be attached to the side chains of anordinary tire chain. Each cross band strip I5a has duplicate fasteningmeans in the form of a strap 4| secured to each end of the cross bandstrip. Each strap 4I has a plurality of holes 43 provided therein. Eachstrap 4l is adapted to be passed around a tire bead member 20, see Fig.10, and doubled back and fastened by passing a bolt 3B through tworegistering holes 43 of said strap and applying a nut 3l to the bolt.The straps ylll are preferably of reinforced rubber and the bolts 30 andnuts 3| may be applied so as to tighten these straps around the rubbercoated tire bead member 40 suiciently to prevent the straps 4I fromslipping around on the tire bead member 4l when in use.

In some instances the end portions of cross band strips, such as |519,Fig. 11, may be fixedly and permanently attached to a bead ring 40a,which has been cut from a discarded tire, as by the use of rivet orstaple means 42. When this permanent form of attachment is to be usedpreferably a substantial amount of tire side wall is left attached tothe bead ring 40a to provide ample area for attachment of the staple orrivet 42.

The tire bead, such as 4 and 40a are severed at least at one point tofacilitate application to a wheel and tire. The two adjoining endportions of each bead ring, such as 40, may be detachably and adjustablyconnected together by strap and buckle means 53, as shown in Fig. 9.

Also, as illustrated in Fig. 12, angle brackets 4d may be secured to theadjacent end portions of a bead ring 46 and a bolt 45 with nut 46thereon used to releasably and adjustably connect the angle bracketsv44.

The mode of operation of these non-skid devices and the methods ofapplying the same to tires will be apparent from the foregoingdescription. These non-skid devices are made almost entirely fromdiscarded tires and for this reason are inexpensive and durable inconstruction and tend to conserve metal. These nonskid cross bands arehighly eflicient in operation, are long lasting, do not subject thetires to which they are applied to excessive wear and will not seriouslyinjure fenders if the cross bands come loose on the tires.

The stubby tongues bend in the general direction inA which a vehicle istraveling when they contact a pavement. In this position these tonguesare highly efiicient in stopping a vehicle-when brakes are appliedbecause the ends of the stubby tongues tend to brace against thepavement and check forward movement. At the same time these stubbytongues are also efficient in resisting side skid. Being fiexible thestubby tongues are self cleaning in mud, snow and the like.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings clearly disclosepreferred embodiments of this invention but it will be understood thatthese disclosures are illustrative and that changes may be made withinthe scope of theY following claims.

I claim:

1. A non-skid cross band for tires comprising a fiat cross band strip ofpliable material having pairs of spaced apart slots extendingtherethrough; and a U shaped pliable elastic member disposed in eachpair of slots with the two side portions of the U shaped elastic memberextending through the respective slots from inside to outside of thecross band strip and projecting beyond the outer surface of' the crossband strip.

r2. A non-skid cross band for tires comprising a flat cross band stripof pliable material having pairs of spaced apart slots extendingtherethrough; a U shaped pliable elastic stubby tongue member disposedin each pair of slots with the two side portions of the U shaped elasticstubby tongue member extending through the respective slots from insideto outside of the cross band strip and projecting a substantial distancebeyond the outer surface of the cross band strip; and means securing thebight p0rtion of each U shaped elastic stubby tongue member to the crossband strip between the two adjacent slots. i

3. A non-skid cross band for tires comprising a flat cross band strip ofpliable material having pairs of diagonally positioned spaced apartslots extending therethrough; and a U shaped pliable elastic stubbytongue member disposed in each pair oi' slots with the two side portionsof the U shaped stubby tongue member extending through the respectiveslots from inside to outside of' the cross band strip and protruding asubstantial distance beyond the outer surface of the cross band strip.

4. A non-skid cross band for tires comprising a substantially fiat crossband strip of' pliable reinforced rubber material adapted to extendacross the tread portion and around the sides o1' a pneumatic tire andhaving pairs oi' spaced apart slots therein, the two slots of each pairextending diagonally of the cross band strip and being substantiallyparallel to each other and longitudinally oifset relative to each other;securing means connected with at least one end portion of said crossband strip; U shaped stubby tongue members of pliable elastic materialdisposed in said slots with the two side portions of each U shapedstubby tongue member projecting respectively through the two slots of apair from inside to outside of the cross band strip and protrudingbeyond the outer surface of said cross band strip and with the bightportion of each U shaped stubby tongue member engaged under a portion ofsaid cross band strip between the two slots of a pair; and meanssecuring the bight portion of each U shaped "iS elastic stubbytongue:member totthecrossr-band. strip `between i two adjacent i-slotsi:

5. A noneskid cross band forstires; comprise` ing; a at; cross bandstrip of: pfliablef'material having pairs oflongitudinallyextending'spaced,

apart-.slots therein; and a= UA shapedzpliable -elas-f tic stubby tongue.merriloerdisposed;y in each :pair of: slots with i the two sidepprtions ofiv the. U shaped stubby tongue.memberextendinglthrough thetwo slots oi' the pair from inside to outsidey of-,the cross band strip,andl protruding aesubstantial. distance loeyonditne` outer 'surface oftive pairsof slots. with the two: side; portions.

of each stubbyk tongue member disposed inzthe respective slots ofapairand exteriiiirigf:through the slots from inside to .outside ofatheicrossjaand. strip. and protruding. a substantialv distance. loe'-yyond the outer surfaceeof thercross bandistrip.,

7. A' non-fskidfov-cross `band for; tires:` comprising aile-t; crossband strip of pliable. material lhav-v in-gg a plurality vof pairs of;spaced: apart slots extending. therethrough; 4 and.A U shaped stubbyVtonguefmernloersy of tough pliablel rubber tread stock disposediii-'said slotswith the twoside portions ofveach U shaped: stubby tonguemember extending through the respective slots of a-pair-frominside--tooutsidefof said crossi'band stripA and protruding a substantial distancebeyond theouter surface-of the cross band strip, whereby said`stulobytongue `members will `lie -flat on a roadbed whenthey.arebetweena-vroadbed and a tire;

Referencesitedin thefie of this ,patent UNITEDfSTA-TES. EAYIEBTIS.

Number Name Date 1,251,014 Greenerdu Dec;V 25, 191'? 1,'57'85803 Comey`Main-30, 1925 2,267,242 Lutey Dec.23," 1941 2,560,198 Stevens July10,1951v 2,570,689 Kennedy Oct: 9, 1951

